A Christmas Story
by CravingPassion
Summary: It had been the same last year, and the year before that one, at Christmas. Ever since the war had ended, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had taken to gathering the family at their home as often as possible. And Harry wouldn't have it any other way. HG Post Hogw.
1. Chapter 1

A Christmas Story

A/N: Please remember to review at the end whether you liked it or hated it. It's very important to me.

Chapter One:

_Knock, Knock, Knock._

"Oh, that must be them! Ron, get the pie out of the oven, would you?" Mrs. Weasley's voice could be heard from behind the front door of the Burrow. Harry and Ginny had just enough time to exchange bemused looks before the door open, Mrs. Weasley standing in the doorway in her festive new blue sweater. The piece fit her very well, and Harry could tell right away that it was new.

"Harry! Ginny! Oh, come in. How lovely to see the two of you together." Mrs. Weasley cooed, hugging her daughter and Harry separately.

"Oh, Harry. You're looking quite well. I hope it's because you've been eating properly. Honestly, I can still remember the first time you came here, how skinny you were."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."

"Yes, mum. That was quite a compliment." Ginny commented dryly.

"So where should I put our things?" Harry asked, to which Mrs. Weasley, half concentrating on bewitching pecans to organize neatly on the pie that lay on the counter, pointed a newly-manicured nail up the stairs. "Ginny's room, I think, would be good. But we'll discuss the sleeping arrangements later. Everyone is in the living room, if you'd like to join them. And Ginny sweetheart, if you could get all that snow out of your hair before grandmamma sees you..."

Ginny smirked and went to the hallway mirror as Harry climbed up the stairs quickly, Ginny's and his suitcase in hand, along with a relatively-small travel bag, in which were stowed fifteen neatly wrapped packages.

By the time he came down, Ginny was sitting by Hermione and Fleur, who was laying a ringed hand on her now very round belly.

Harry and Ginny exchanged a glance, before Harry found Ron in the packed room, and came to sit beside him. He seemed to be badgered by the woman who Harry recognized as Grandmamma Weasley.

She was speaking in an educating tone, and Harry definitely heard a few words about marriage and grandchildren, before Ron caught sight of him and almost yelled in delight- "Harry!"

Ron's grandmother, quite taken aback, took her time to stand up and turn around to look at the now very famous auror.

"Well, Well! Hello to you." The eldest Mrs. Weasley tutted, reaching out her hand for Harry to shake. He obliged.

"Good evening, Mrs. Weasley. How nice to see you again." He answered, always the gentleman.

"Mr. Potter. I was just discussing with Ronald the notion of marriage to Ms. Granger. Won't you join us?"

"I'd be glad to."

He now turned to grin at Ron.

His best friend raised himself from the sofa, with a tired smile, and hugged Harry. It was the same familiar hug they always shared. Harry recognized relief in his best friend as he grasped his shoulder, and then released quickly.

"Heya Harry. How're you doing?" Ron stumbled to change a subject to something other than marriage, and pregnancies.

"Great, I guess. How are things at the pitch?"

Ron sighed. "Coach is driving us into the ground, I'll tell you that. But the team is in great shape, I think. Coach reckons we might just get ourselves up to Nationals this year. Maybe even World?"

"World?! Wow. That's great, Ron."

"I should have known he would have you talking quidditch before I could even say the word beleaguer."

"Hey! Are you implying something, Hermione?"

"You mean you actually understood the word?"

"Well, of course I understood it. I live with you, don't I? It means boring."

"That's right!. Ron, does this mean I'm actually influencing you in any way?"

"What are you arguing about this time?" Ginny interrupted, thankfully.

Without any of their notice, Mrs. Weasley (that would be Grandmother Weasley) had left the conversation, so that now Ginny could fill the space that was evacuated by her grandmother.

"Ginny! There's my favorite sister! How've you been?"

"Uhhh…I've been fine, thank you. What's up?"

"Up? Why would anything be up?"

"Because you're acting too nice."

"I told you she wouldn't buy it." Hermione chimed in, raising one eyebrow. Ron shot her a dirty look.

"Aha! Something really is up. Blimey, and I was just messing with your head."

"What?! Hermione, I really do hate you."

"I'm sure you do."

"So?"

"So what?"

"So what have you done?"

"Done? I haven't-"

"Ron!"

"Alright! I forgot to get you a present. I'm sorry, Ginny. I'll get you a double one next year. I just…forgot. I've been so crammed with practices, and we do have a pretty big family and everything. I just forgot. I'm sorry, Ginny."

"Oh. That's it? I don't really mind. It's not like I live for your Christmas gifts, Ron. No offense."

"Oh. Fantastic! Hold on-"

"Ron, you'd really be better off letting that one go." Harry advised his friend. Ginny stood to take a seat on his lap, and to let Hermione sit on the sofa, beside Ron.

"Attention everyone!" Mr. Weasley called out, and the room silenced immediately. "Thank you, and good evening. We would just like to ask everyone to please bring all of the gifts and lay them underneath the tree, if you would. And dinner will be served at once. Thank you."

The crowd of Weasleys moved without delay- some, like Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Bill, up the stairs and some towards the hallway closet. Mrs. Weasley, Harry noticed, apparated on the spot and was back a minute later, a bag full of gifts in her hands.

"She always does that," Ginny whispered in his ear, noting her mother's activity as well. "It's so we don't find the presents before Christmas. No one knows where she keeps the gifts, and I doubt it if any of us ever will know. I don't think she's even told dad. Probably doesn't trust him to be firm enough with us."

"She's right, of course." Ron chimed in. "If dad knew, we would have gotten to the presents years ago."

When the gifts were all stuffed tightly underneath the festive tree, the big family (along with Hermione, Harry, and even Neville and Luna who showed up quite late) sat at the enlarged dining table, filled with every one of Mrs. Weasley's specialties.

Harry, who was seated between Ron and Charlie, could not help but smile at this familiar picture of the whole family and guests sitting together at the Christmas table.

It had been the same last year, and the year before that one, at Christmas.

Ever since the war had ended, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had taken to gathering the family at their home as often as possible.

And the house could take the gatherings quite well, too.

Now that Arthur had been finally pushed up the corporate ladder at the ministry, the Weasleys had more money and the chance to broaden and fix the Burrow. Now, the dining hall was quite a lot bigger, and two bedrooms had been added to the upper floors. Also, the house was now a whole lot straighter.

Harry found now that he missed the old, worn down house just a tiny bit. But the company was what counted, and he was the first to admit that the renovated house was a lot more comfortable.

After Mr. Weasley's usual words of blessings, everyone around the table began to dig into the food on their plates, with enthusiasm of a starving crowd.

A/N: How was it? It's just the first chapter, but I tried to make it long enough, without tiring the reader.

Well?


	2. Chapter 2

A Christmas Story

Chapter Two:

When the first few courses were done with, and the mood around the table had begun to calm, Bill stood up and chimed his glass against his teaspoon.

Every pair of eyes around the room quickly shot up to look at the eldest Weasley Child. He was the most definite reminder of the war in the whole room. Bill's once very handsome face would forever hold scars of Greyback's attack from some years ago. A long, wide scar now protruded from just below his right eyebrow and down to the corner of his mouth, where it zigzagged right to his lower chin.

He was still visibly handsome, but the scars made him seem older, and worn.

Bill cleared his throat.

"Ahem- hem." The usual Umbrige-impression was voiced. A few people around the table laughed, and George pretended to shiver. Bill smiled good-naturedly and began his obviously rehearsed speech.

"Right. Well, I'm sure most of the people around this room already know what I'm about to say, but we might just as well make it official. Fleur and I would like to take this opportunity to announce that- would you like to stand up, dear?- that we're going to have a baby!"

Loud claps were heard from around the table, and some wolf-whistles were even heard from Charlie and Ron's side of the table. ("That's my brother!")

Bill smiled again, his scar twisting uncomfortably, and began to speak once more, "Yes. Well, the approximate date is the first of May-"

"-which is Blessed Virgin Mary Celebration Day, and the International Worker's day!" Fleur piped up in excitement.

"-Yes, it is. Anyhow, a baby shower is being organized these days- it should fall just a week prior to delivery. Am I forgetting anything, Fleur?"

"Is it a boy or girl?" Ginny asked from a few seats down.

"Oh! I completely forgot. Sweetheart, would you like to-?"

"C'est une fille! It is a girl!" Fleur answered enthusiastically before Bill could even finish his sentence.

"Oh, a girl! How delightful!" Grandmamma Weasley fussed. "And how rare! A Weasley girl. Of course, with your genes, Fleur, I would expect nothing less."

"Oh! Do you reckon she'll be part-veela?" Ginny asked timidly. Fleur and Bill smiled and blushed, and Bill sat down promptly without answering Ginny's question, with only a small shrug to note that he had heard the question. Hermione, however, who was seated on Ginny's left, was happy to converse the question. This led the two girls into a full- blown discussion of genetics, and magical beings.

Harry, Ron and Charlie were left therefore to happily chat about quidditch, and auror training, which Harry was in the midst of.

After dinner was finished with, and desert was served (pecan pie, vanilla ice cream, rice pudding, and triple-layer chocolate cake.) the crowd slowly trickled into the living room, some staying back to help Mrs. Weasley with the washing up of plates. She, of course, rushed anyone who tried to help back into the rest room, and joined the family a short while later.

When everyone was finally seated comfortably around the room on either pillows or on armchairs and couches around the room, Mr. Weasley stood to speak again, the roaring fire illuminating him.

"So, now that dinner is done with, we'd like to start to open presents, if that's okay with everyone…?" Arthur's blue eyes scanned the room for objections before picking up the first package and calling out- "This first one is for…Bill!" and the box was tossed into the air, before it landed right in the man's arms.

And so the present-tossing continued:

"Ginny!"

"Molly!"

"Ron!"

"Grandmamma- this one's for you, mum."

"Oh, and one for me."

"Harry!"

"Hermione!"

"Let's see… Ginny again!"

By the end of the evening everyone around the room had a pile of discarded wrapping paper all around him/herself.

Harry had gotten a book about special warding spells from Hermione; a Chudley Cannons jersey from Ron with POTTER written across the back; A brand-new scarf from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley; A beautiful black leather wand case from Bill and Fleur; And a Skiving Snackbox from George, whose smile wasn't all there.

Harry and Ginny had bought most of their presents together (an expanding warming cloak for Fleur; a bottle of firewhiskey for Bill ("Believe me, you'll need it."); and a winter-getaway-vacation package for Molly and Arthur.

Their presents for each other they had agreed to keep secret until Christmas morning, and Harry was holding to his word, much to Ginny's annoyance.

"Haaaarrrryyy!!! Please, will you just give me a hint? So what if we SAID it'll be secret? It's our decision. And I would really really like to know NOW."

"Ginny, no."

"Oh, Harry. Come off it!"

"Ginny, you know as well as I do that if I do give you your presents now, you'll be mad at me tomorrow for not standing up to you and giving it to you in the morning."

"What?! I absolutely will not be angry! Do you really see me as that fickle?"

"Yes."

"Harry!"

"Ginny."

"Fine. But just so you understand, this means that you and I are not touching a toe tonight." She whispered, so as not to be overheard. "I just won't have it." She went on with her natural voive. "A girl's got to stand up to herself."

Harry's smile widened.

"I don't believe you." He answered in an alluring voice. "You can't resist me."

At this, Ginny blushed as red as her hair and walked away in a huff, her chin raised and her shoulders back.

A/N: Don't forget to press that little blue button down there, at the bottom.


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